Treatment For Herpes Zoster

Treatment for herpes zoster has recently received a boost with the news that a dietary supplement, benfotiamine, can be an effective means of mitigating the discomfort of this painful condition. While herpes zoster cannot be cured, per se, it can be treated until it has run its course. And once you've treated it once, you won't likely need to treat it again.

Herpes zoster symptoms include some of the pains you might experience during a bout of chicken pox: irritated skin leading to blisters. Like chicken pox, there may be some scarring in severe cases. The pain of herpes zoster is even more intense, on average, than that of chicken pox, though the affected area is likely to be smaller.

Treatment for Herpes Zoster: Supplemental Alternatives

Since, like chicken pox, there is no cure for zoster, any treatment options are a true boon to those that suffer from the virus. Traditional methods of treatment for herpes zoster, like anti-inflammatories and cold compresses, certainly can help. And now there is another alternative, in the form of the thiamine-derived supplement benfotiamine.

This supplement was first crafted in Japan over half a century ago, but only recently has western research caught up to it. Benfotiamine is often used to treat nerve damage, particularly when resulting from diabetes. But it is also another way to deal with the pain of zoster, and thus make your two or three weeks with the condition that much more tolerable.